HHS Public Access Author manuscript Author Manuscript
Nanotechnology. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2017 July 15. Published in final edited form as: Nanotechnology. 2016 July 15; 27(28): 284002. doi:10.1088/0957-4484/27/28/284002.
3D-printed Bioanalytical Devices Gregory W Bishop1, Jennifer E Satterwhite-Warden2, Karteek Kadimisetty2, and James F Rusling2,3,4,5 1Department
of Chemistry, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee 37614 of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-3060 3Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-3136 4Neag Cancer Center, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut 06030 5School of Chemistry, National University of Ireland at Galway, Galway, Ireland 2Department
Author Manuscript
Abstract
Author Manuscript
While 3D printing technologies first appeared in the 1980s, prohibitive costs, limited materials, and the relatively small number of commercially available printers confined applications mainly to prototyping for manufacturing purposes. As technologies, printer cost, materials, and accessibility continue to improve, 3D printing has found widespread implementation in research and development in many disciplines due to ease-of-use and relatively fast design-to-object workflow. Several 3D printing techniques have been used to prepare devices such as milli- and microfluidic flow cells for analyses of cells and biomolecules as well as interfaces that enable bioanalytical measurements using cellphones. This review focuses on preparation and applications of 3Dprinted bioanalytical devices.
1. Introduction
Author Manuscript
3D printing involves the production of an object from a computer-aided design (CAD) file by depositing a material or multiple materials in successive layers using precisely controlled positioning and delivery systems. In general, 3D printing requires few steps: preparation of a design file using CAD software, generation of instructions for the printing process using a slicer program, printing the designed object by delivering or hardening a material onto a platform according to the instructions defined by the slicer program, removal of the object from the printer platform, and post-processing to remove printed supports or other extraneous material. This simple approach enables relatively rapid production of a wide variety of prototypes and offers an advantage over other fabrication methods, which usually require multiple production steps and greater capital investment in infrastructure. Initiatives such as the RepRap and Fab@Home projects began a decade ago to promote open-source collaboration and innovation with the goal of democratizing 3D printing.1 Consumer-grade 3D printers are now commercially available for
Nanotechnology. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2017 July 15. Published in final edited form as: Nanotechnology. 2016 July 15; 27(28): 284002. doi:10.1088/0957-4484/27/28/284002.
3D-printed Bioanalytical Devices Gregory W Bishop1, Jennifer E Satterwhite-Warden2, Karteek Kadimisetty2, and James F Rusling2,3,4,5 1Department
of Chemistry, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee 37614 of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-3060 3Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-3136 4Neag Cancer Center, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut 06030 5School of Chemistry, National University of Ireland at Galway, Galway, Ireland 2Department
Author Manuscript
Abstract
Author Manuscript
While 3D printing technologies first appeared in the 1980s, prohibitive costs, limited materials, and the relatively small number of commercially available printers confined applications mainly to prototyping for manufacturing purposes. As technologies, printer cost, materials, and accessibility continue to improve, 3D printing has found widespread implementation in research and development in many disciplines due to ease-of-use and relatively fast design-to-object workflow. Several 3D printing techniques have been used to prepare devices such as milli- and microfluidic flow cells for analyses of cells and biomolecules as well as interfaces that enable bioanalytical measurements using cellphones. This review focuses on preparation and applications of 3Dprinted bioanalytical devices.
1. Introduction
Author Manuscript
3D printing involves the production of an object from a computer-aided design (CAD) file by depositing a material or multiple materials in successive layers using precisely controlled positioning and delivery systems. In general, 3D printing requires few steps: preparation of a design file using CAD software, generation of instructions for the printing process using a slicer program, printing the designed object by delivering or hardening a material onto a platform according to the instructions defined by the slicer program, removal of the object from the printer platform, and post-processing to remove printed supports or other extraneous material. This simple approach enables relatively rapid production of a wide variety of prototypes and offers an advantage over other fabrication methods, which usually require multiple production steps and greater capital investment in infrastructure. Initiatives such as the RepRap and Fab@Home projects began a decade ago to promote open-source collaboration and innovation with the goal of democratizing 3D printing.1 Consumer-grade 3D printers are now commercially available for
